


what was washed away

by the_ragnarok



Category: Transformers: Rescue Bots
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bittersweet, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 10:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13949847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_ragnarok/pseuds/the_ragnarok





	what was washed away

Chase watched as the humans assembled to wash his teammates. It was a relief to see Blades, Heatwave and Boulder restored to them in good condition, apart from the dirt they accumulated in their passage through the sewer.

Normally Chase would have offered his assistance; however, there were too many humans underfoot, and Chase feared he might step on one if he attempted to assist in the cleaning efforts. He stepped outside instead, into one of the tunnels that led to the bunker. He transformed into vehicle mode.

It was indeed a relief to have his teammates restored. If he wasn't mistaken, the humans were also relieved. Chase couldn't help but wonder if Chief Burns would be as distressed if Chase happened to disappear, as well.

That was a non-productive line of thought, and Chase resolved not to pursue it.

Instead, he found himself considering cleanliness. He was, of course, perfectly capable of keeping himself "spic and span", as the chief put it. All of them were. And yet, Chief Burns and Cody had offered more than once to clean Chase up.

He'd turned them down, reasoning that he was perfectly capable of doing the task himself. And yet, now he was considering the benefit of smaller human servos - "hands" - and how they might be applied to polishing some of his harder to reach plates.

Cody's hands, being smaller, might prove beneficial in that regard. And yet it was Chief Burns Chase found himself considering, at length.

Chief Burns' touch would be very certain, Chase believed. It would be confident and knowing. It might be appropriate for Chase to remain in vehicle mode while being clean, to provide easier access for the human.

An image from one of the movies Cody showed them presented itself: a human car, a sparkless automaton, being washed on the street on a sunny day. Humans wandering idly by and calling to one another, the car inconspicuous among them.

Chase trembled, not knowing why. He disliked pretending to be a robot as much as his teammates did, surely. Surely that wasn't something he could... want.

Despite this, he considered Chief Burns' old police car, the way Chief Burns would pat it with genuine affection. Ever respectful, he had never patted Chase the same way, even when they had to pretend.

"Chase?"

In his surprise, Chase backed up a few yards down the tunnel. "Yes?"

Chief Burns approached him. "There you are. Where did you go off to?" He was still carrying a mop and a bucket of soapy water.

Chase revved his engine nervously. "I thought I had best give you space to work, Chief."

Chief Burns shrugged. "We're done. And haven't I told you a hundred times to call me Charlie?"

"As a matter of fact, you requested this fourteen times." And yet, calling the human by his title seemed ever more appropriate.

Chief Burns snorted. He raised the hand holding the bucket. "How would you like a wash yourself, since we've got the equipment down here?"

Chase's fuel pump choked. "I am really capable of keeping myself clean, Chief Burns."

"Doesn't mean you can't use help now and then," Chief Burns said, tossing the mop and catching it. "What are friends for?"

At a loss for words, Chase shifted into vehicle mode. Chief Burns approached him. "Just a quick once-over," Chief said. "You're nowhere near the state the other bots were in." He set down the bucket and dipped the mop in the water.

"That is fortunate," Chase said, with some difficulty. "I would not like to be so--" the mop touched him, and Chase found himself again at a loss for words.

"Well, sometimes our job is messy," Chief allowed. "Can't be helped. But it's good to be clean when we can."

It was possible that Chase was mishearing the words: he was so focused on the contact between the mop and his plating. It was nothing outside the ordinary, of course, nothing but being washed using a hygienic tool, same in all respects as Chase washing himself. And yet it was not. Chief Burns' movements were unlike Chase's own.

"Chase?" Chief stopped.

This was likely because Chase was trembling again, vibrations that wouldn't have been noticeable if Chase and the Chief were not connected via the mop. The thought made Chase shake harder.

Chase managed to say, "It is a positive reaction. Do not stop on my account."

Chief hummed. "If you say so." He didn't continue; instead, before Chase could be disappointed, he reached into the bucket and pulled out a sponge. He rubbed it in a large, soothing circle over Chase's hood. With his other hand, he patted Chase's fender. "Still positive?"

"Indeed." The tremors were not lessening: if anything, they were increasing. This was highly embarrassing. If this response didn't cease, would Chief worry about Chase's functioning, despite Chase's reassurance?

"You know, washing cars can be fun," Chief said, still moving in those wide, careful circles. "Relaxing. You like being washed?"

Chase was not a car; however, Chief knew that, and reminding him of this currently did not seem productive. "I do," Chase said. "The experience is pleasant."

"Glad to hear it."

After a while - surely not _too soon_ ; Chase hadn't even been in need of a wash - Chief finished and wiped him clean with a piece of moist fabric. "I can dry you, too," Chief said, "or do you prefer to air-dry?"

Chase considered this. He'd seen Dani drying Blades, rubbing him with a soft towel. "Air drying would be sufficient, thank you." He didn't believe he could have Chief drying him without losing his composure entirely.

"Dad!" somebody called from inside. Chief waved a salute at Chase; Chase flashed his lights in acknowledgement.

He remained there, in vehicle mode, for a while. The other bots did not call for him. Likely they were still in the process of being cleaned. Just as well: Chase found that he was not eager to rejoin them.

This was unusual, and his processors kicked into turbo attempting to make sense of it. In a moment, his cache memory offered the image of Dani wiping Blades clean again.

Dani cleaning Blades, as Chief Burns cleaned him. And yet, Chase found he did not like the idea of the two occurrences being alike. Despite factual similarities, he wanted to protest that the two were completely different.

Yet they were not. He merely wanted them to be.

Further prodding - _how_ did he want this difference to manifest? Offered little guidance. 

All Chase knew was that now he had the memory of Chief Burns cleaning him, and short of a memory purge, there was nothing he could do to keep from wanting it again. And wanting it to be somehow different than a routine cleaning, in some vague, ill defined way.

Heatwave pinged him over the comms. Chase vented exhaust and drove back inside, where his teammates were all spotless once more. He tried to take joy in their company, and not sink into unbecoming, baffling longing.


End file.
